Wikipedia:Main Page history/2020 August 18

the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

From today's featured article

Painting of the first day of the battle, with HMS Namur in the centre left

The naval Battle of Lagos took place between a British fleet commanded by Sir Edward Boscawen and a French fleet under Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran over 18–19 August 1759 during the Seven Years' War. The French Mediterranean Fleet successfully passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, but was sighted by a British ship. The British fleet in Gibraltar was undergoing a major refit and left port amidst great confusion, with many ships delayed and sailing in a second squadron. Aware that he was pursued, La Clue changed course, but half of his ships failed to follow him in the dark. The British caught the French south west of the Gulf of Cádiz, fierce fighting ensued, and one French ship was captured. The British pursued the remaining six French ships overnight and two managed to escape. The four survivors attempted to shelter in neutral Portuguese waters near Lagos, but Boscawen violated that neutrality, capturing two of the ships and destroying the other two. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

Did you know ...

Black Dog II, captain of the Osage Battalion

... that the Native American Osage Battalion (captain pictured) was one of the last Confederate units to surrender during the American Civil War?
... that a 1902 magazine article called Helene Odilon "currently the greatest actress in Germany"?
... that in Siddhantasara, Manilal Dwivedi refutes the idea of the Genesis creation narrative as told in the Old Testament?
... that a resolution proposed by Bob Dearing calling for CBS not to cancel The Mississippi was unanimously passed by the Mississippi Legislature?
... that Yin May, the first Burmese obstetrician, founded and ran the country's main maternity hospital during the Japanese occupation of Burma?
... that the royal palace complex of Moulay Ismail in Meknes was so extensive that it was nicknamed the "Moroccan Versailles"?
... that linguist Esther T. Mookini translated many works of 19th-century native Hawaiians, including the 1838 Anatomia, the only medical textbook written in the Hawaiian language?
... that the Yeoman Warders Club might be the most exclusive pub in the world, with only 37 members?

In the news

COVID-19 pandemic

Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan (pictured) wins the World Snooker Championship, defeating Kyren Wilson in the final.
Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei sets a new world record in the men's 5000 metres.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates agree to establish diplomatic relations.
Pro-democracy protests intensify in Belarus after the contested reelection of incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko.

On this day

August 18: Long Tan Day in Australia (1966)

White's discovery of the abandoned Roanoke Colony

1487 – Reconquista: After a four-month siege, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain conquered the city of Málaga from the Emirate of Granada.
1590 – John White, governor of the Roanoke Colony, the first English settlement in North America (located in present-day North Carolina), returned after a three-year absence to find it deserted (depicted).
1940 – Second World War: During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe made an all-out effort to destroy RAF Fighter Command, with both sides combined losing more aircraft on this day than at any other point during the campaign.
2017 – Two people were killed and eight others wounded when a rejected asylum seeker went on a knife rampage in Turku, Finland.

Olaf I of Denmark (d. 1095)
Ruth Norman (b. 1900)
Jack Hobbs (b. 1988)

More anniversaries:

Today's featured picture

Alice Paul was an American suffragist, feminist, and women's-rights activist, and one of the main leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits sex discrimination in the right to vote. Along with Lucy Burns and others, she strategized events such as the Woman Suffrage Procession and the Silent Sentinels as part of the successful campaign that resulted in the amendment's passage on August 18, 1920. This photograph of Paul was taken in 1915 by the Harris & Ewing photographic studio in Washington, D.C.

Photograph credit: Harris & Ewing; restored by Adam Cuerden

Recently featured:

Other areas of Wikipedia

Community portal – Bulletin board, projects, resources and activities covering a wide range of Wikipedia areas.
Help desk – Ask questions about using Wikipedia.
Local embassy – For Wikipedia-related communication in languages other than English.
Reference desk – Serving as virtual librarians, Wikipedia volunteers tackle your questions on a wide range of subjects.
Site news – Announcements, updates, articles and press releases on Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.
Village pump – For discussions about Wikipedia itself, including areas for technical issues and policies.